Just Between Life & Death
by shadowofthe3arth
Summary: When the Sorceress of Yggdrasil commits a crime, though not through her own hands, she is punished by two to live her life in pain and exile. She must endure the Lie-smith and his dealings with the Avengers, and possibly darker things that are coming. post-Avengers, not entirely mythically accurate. Cover by fenix42 on deviantart.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Her whole being was on fire. All of it, straight down to her toes. It felt as though she had been cut limb from limb and as if her insides had been pulled out one by one then shoved forcefully back inside her. As if she had been sewn back together with knitting needles and as if it had then happened all over again. He was forcing her to the edge of collapsing, to the edge of breaking, but she was of Asgard, and she refused to fall.

She cringed at the thought of enduring more of this, and she knew that Thanos would enjoy every second of her agony. This was not the worst of his wrath; she had been in more pain before this moment. She wondered if all failure felt like this, for having never failed on anything else.

Her thoughts were torn from her as a low voice spoke. It was an agonizingly smooth voice, and it was slithering around her, threatening the choke her.

"I am done with you for now, my sweet," the voice said. "You have other punishments to endure. But I will never be finished with you, I fear, for you are just such lovely company." She smirked and almost laughed, but her sarcastic thoughts were cut off by a fierce, excruciating pain on her back. It seemed as though there was something inside her skin. "Every time you use your magic, this mark will grow," the voice continued. "Until the entire world will be able to see that you are my prisoner." He laughed.

She wanted to retort, to lash out, but she was too weak, and she could not stop the magic as there was a blinding flash of light and the laughter faded into nothingness.

xJBLDx

"She is waking," an unknown voice said. She awoke to the soft light of what she knew immediately was the palace healing room. She had been here before, though never as a patient. "We will bring her to the Allfather immediately."

She almost chuckled; but the pain still made it hard for her to function properly. As a servant dragged her down the golden halls she again realized that they were in Valhalla. She then became fully alert, surprising the servant by standing completely and walking with new-found strength. The servant let go of her and continued walking as she followed closely behind.

She remembered now, why she was here. Who knew that failure could be so painful? More punishment was to come.

As soon as she entered the throne room, and even just outside the doors, she could feel the tension in the air. She sunk into a bow as she approached Odin and Frigga, who was standing by his side. She decided not to put up a fight of any sorts; it would be easier to accept her fate that way.

"Rise Erys of Yggdrasil, we have important matters to attend to," the Allfather said, so Erys stood and looked into the face of the powerful man that sat upon the throne.

"What will you do with me, now that I am a criminal, surely you still need a sorceress of Yggdrasil who is as competent as I am," The woman smirked.

"Silence!" the king snapped, and the woman stood her ground. "You have no right to address me like a fool. You are the Sorceress, true, and you are the only one capable of your job, so when the time comes that you are needed, you will be called upon, however, you have not done much useful work for a long time, and I doubt that your skills will be needed often."

Erys' gaze became sharper as he said this, for he had no idea what Thanos was up to, although, neither did she for that matter.

"And now," the Allfather began again. "For your punishment. You are hereby banished to Midgard, where you will not be allowed the use of magic. If you do use your magic, well, all I shall say is that it will not be pleasant. You will also be monitored, by me personally, I will let you use your magic only when I feel it is the right thing to do, but you will still get a rather unpleasant feeling. If I feel that you should not be using your magic, the feeling will become... how should I say? Stronger."

Her stomach dropped and she wanted to cry, but Erys kept up her silent façade and continued to look up at the Allfather. Frigga, she noticed, seemed afraid as well, though she did not know if it was because of her punishment or her presence.

"You will be joined on Midgard, but not just yet, for this prisoners full punishment is yet to be determined," the king continued, and she thought that she saw traced of regret in his eyes, but it was gone in an instant. "Now then, I suppose I should say good luck," he waved his hand and there was another flash of light. "And goodbye, for now."

She fell, from both the sky, and consciousness.

xJBLDx

**A/N: Hullo, hullo! I'm writing a fanfic at last! This is my first story here and I am welcome to all reviews and suggestions, good and bad. The Avengers and Loki, and other Norse myths will appear in this story. I hope you enjoy this tale! :) Oh and please R&R**

**Disclaimer: (sadly I must do it) I own none of the Marvel characters in this work though if I did... heh heh... heh... I own only Erys.**


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter I**

Since the creation of the post, there has only been one Sorceress of Yggdrasil. Long ago, a woman was with child. Her husband had disappeared weeks before she discovered that she was with child, and she feared that without him, the child would be ridiculed for being fatherless. She was correct. Soon, as the people around the woman found that she was with child, they shunned her and forced her out of the village, for without a man, the woman was meaningless.

The woman carried out her life in solitude, but she never felt truly alone, because she carried a small being in her womb at all times. Soon before the child's birth, the woman became very ill, and feared the fate of her child. Knowing that no god would help a fatherless child, she prayed to Yggdrasil, who answered her call, for a price.

In exchange for the mother's life, the child would live, but they would have to devote their entire life to the protection and preservation of the great tree. The mother agreed, desperate to save her only heir, and when the small girl was born, the mother died, leaving the child parent-less, aside from Yggdrasil, who became the child's mentor and keeper.

The girl was named Erys, after her great-grandmother, the tree told her. Erys learned the art of sorcery from Yggdrasil, who also taught her many languages and other magical works. She learned about each of the nine worlds and traveled to all of them constantly, to keep up with the traditions of each one.

Over time, as the great tree aged, it became weaker, and the Sorceress had to heal it constantly, but she was captured and used by evil to do evil things, and had to face punishment for actions that were not entirely her own.

As the tree grows weaker without her constant watch, so does the bond between the realms.

xJBLDx

When Erys awoke, the pain was still there, although it had numbed to a dull throb. She blinked blearily and realized that she was lying on the floor in a bright room. She sat up, and rubbed the back of her neck, wondering where she was.

She remembered then. Midgard would be her home for now, and luckily, she had visited recently, to make sure that the Silvertongue Prince did not try to hurt Yggdrasil. She stood and wobbled on her feet for a moment, steadying herself on a chair that was beside her. She looked around the room that she had found herself in, it was furnished with antiques and old furniture, and it seemed to be a parlor of sorts.

There was a couch with two chairs across from it and a coffee table in the middle, behind the couch was a hallway and Erys walked towards it, steadying herself on the furniture as she passed. She opened the door at the end of the hall to be greeted by crisp autumn air and a set of steps. She walked down them and turned to look down the street. _New York City, interesting._ She turned again to look at the building that she had ended up in. 344 West 22nd Street, a small plaque on the top of the mail slot said. Erys smiled, it was a beautiful house, but this seemed like a lenient punishment for the Allfather to give.

Erys shook off the confused feeling and went inside to explore the house that she had to live in for the time being. She discovered five bedrooms, all of which were furnished, but only two with clothing in the drawers. She picked the room with the better view of the street outside; it was the second door in on the left side, on the hallway on the third floor.

She traveled to the fourth floor next, and found that had been converted into what seemed to be half a work-space and half a studio. After passing back into her new bedroom to find a sweater, for the house was cool and she had no idea how to work the heating, she found the bathroom that was on the third floor and then walked downstairs, ending up in the entrance hallway once again. Instead of turning left to go into the room that she had started out in, she turned right to find another sitting room with a baby grand piano in it.

It took her nearly two hours to explore the entire house, in which she found a large kitchen and dining table, and a sun-room in the back of the house. Being wary of the building, she inspected every inch, just to make sure that she found no trace that this was an illusion. She felt magic, but she knew that it was Odin watching her, not a trick or glamour spell.

She sighed and padded to the kitchen for a drink of water. She searched the cupboards for a glass and when she found one, she walked to the sink. After realizing that the knob that she turned caused hot water to come out of the faucet, she turned the opposite one and filled her glass with cool water. It slid down her dry throat, and she felt fresh again.

Erys walked to the sitting room with the piano and sat down at the bench to look outside. She needed to find a library. Books would help her try and understand the technology in this world. So, after changing into a pair of pants and boots, which felt very strange to her, but she had seen Midgardian women wear them, and so she set out to find a library.

xJBLDx

**A/N: Hullo again, here is Chapter one of JBLD, this is basically an introduction chapter, and I think that everyone's favorite lie-smith will suddenly appear next chapter :).**

**This house is a real place! It's amazing, here is the link (remove the spaces and brackets around com): www. thetownhousespecialist . {com} / property . php?property_id=4912**

**The story's house looks a bit different with furniture and everything, but this is the main idea.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Erys, nothing of Marvel's is mine (I don't own the house either but I waaant it! ...minus the ungodly price).**

**Reviews are always appreciated! -Until next time.**


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter II**

The books happened to be the best idea that she could come up with, however she could not take them home, for she had no identification card or a library card for that matter. So instead, Erys decided to read what she could until the library closed for the night.

She learned about all kinds of machines that the Midgardians used, there were machines of washing and machines of drying and machines for washing dishes. Ovens that needed no manual labor to be lit and boxes to freeze or preserve things. Erys was surprised by the cleverness of the Midgardians, for Yggdrasil had always told her that they were not the strongest race. As she read on, however, she realized that their minds were quite strong, though some people used that strength for different things.

The library closed and Erys began the journey home, more informed than when she had left the house. When she arrived she opened the door, and realizing that she had not locked it, she searched for a key. She found two in a small basket that hung on the wall in the entrance hallway where she also found a note written on parchment.

The ink that covered the letter was red and Erys almost believed it to be blood if not for the name at the bottom of the small page, King Odin. She read the letter carefully.

_Erys of Yggdrasil,_

_Welcome to your place on Midgard, it is not the prison that you had expected, is it? This home will also house another prisoner, who is higher in class than you and is used to more comfortable living spaces. He will arrive soon. Remember that you are powerless and one word from me could get you killed. Play nice._

_Sincerely,_

_King Odin and his councilors._

Erys raised an eyebrow; she had never taken the Allfather as the kind of person to be sarcastic. In fact, she was shocked at how informal this letter was, and it seemed to be in the king's own writing, for she had seen his letters to Yggdrasil. After reading the letter over once more, Erys decided not to be offended by his sarcastic tone, and instead wondered who the other unfortunate soul would be.

She pocketed one of the keys and left the other in the basket on the wall for the other person. Then, she turned and walked towards the kitchen, realizing how hungry she was. Erys had not eaten in a long time; in fact, she could not remember when she had last had a decent meal that did not include her own flesh. Damn Thanos.

She opened what she learned was called the refrigerator, and nearly shivered as a wave of cool air hit her. There was much food inside the box, and Erys took out a small container with the word 'yogurt' written on its side. She peeled back the layer of what she assumed was some form of paper off of the top of the container and then searched the kitchen for a spoon, which seemed like the best utensil to eat the substance with. She looked at the packaging again before taking a spoonful of this vanilla 'yogurt,' luckily she enjoyed the taste of anything vanilla that they had given her once on Asgard on one of the many occasions that she dined in Valhalla. This 'yogurt' food was enjoyable, and before she looked down again, she was finished.

Erys contemplated looking for more food, but decided against the idea when she heard her stomach churn. She would not be able to stomach a full meal after not eating for such a long time. So instead, Erys put the spoon in the sink and the yogurt container on the counter next to it.

She ventured upstairs, realizing how late it was, and padded into the room of bathing. Luckily, she knew how to work a bathtub, so she ran herself a hot bath to clean herself off. She stripped her clothes off and folded them in a neat pile on the floor near the bottom of the tub. Before stepping in the water, she walked over to the sink to check and see what scents there were. There was a mirror that hung over the sink. Erys looked at her reflection and took a deep sigh. She had not looked in a mirror for a very long time, and seeing herself made her want to curl up in a ball and cry.

She was thin, you could see her ribs, and her face looked gaunt and pale with sunken eyes. Her lips were chapped; she noticed and wondered why she hadn't felt them before. She remembered the mark that Thanos said he had given her and she turned slowly, hoping that he was lying and that there was nothing there. There was.

It was like a vine, and it seemed to have thorns. It was raised a bit off of her skin, like a scar, but it was dark grey in color, like a tattoo. She wanted to test this curse, so she cast a healing charm on herself and screamed. The pain felt like Thanos' torture on one of the worse days, and it was horrible seeing the mark on her back grow and twist a little further. She did not remember ending up on the floor, but there she was, curled into a ball, naked on the cold tiles.

She shivered and stood up, limping over to the bathtub and setting herself into the now lukewarm water. It stifled the pain only a fraction. Before she realized it, there were tears running down her face and dripping into the water, they made the only sound in the room. She could see herself in the mirror that was across the room now and she hugged her knees to her chest. She wiped the silent tears from her eyes and stood from the bath tub. She limped to the mirror again looked her self, now healthier because of the spell, scowling.

"Do not cry, Sorceress," she said, speaking at her reflection and raising her head a little higher. "You are strong, and this small pain will not damage you, you are the daughter of Yggdrasil, and you will not break, you will be a tree, and they will not cut you down."

With this she finished her bath and dressed in a nightgown for bed. And although her façade was strong and determined, nightmares plagued her in her sleep.

XJBLDx

When she awoke the next morning, the Sun was covered by clouds and it was raining. Erys padded down the stairs in her sleepwear and into the kitchen for a small breakfast. She opened the cupboards and found a loaf of bread. She knew that many Midgardians ate toast in the mornings, so she put two slices in the toasting machine and waited for them to be done. She searched in the refrigerator for something to put over the toast and found, to her delight, strawberry jam.

She spread this on her newly golden toast and took a bite, savoring the familiar taste of the sweet jam. She sat at the counter and ate in silence as she watched the rain pour down outside.

There was a flash of lightning and a crash in the parlor and Erys dropped her toast. It seems as though the other one is here. She jumped out of her seat and tiptoed down the hall, turning into the doorway of the room that she had arrived in yesterday. There, on the floor, was a tangle of ropes and limbs and clothes and dark hair. The man did not make any move to signal that he knew that she was there so she inched closer, wondering why she held her breath. She was close to him now, and by his lack of movement, she assumed that he was unconscious.

Erys turned the man over to that she was looking at his thin face. She let out the breath that she had been holding in.

"Burdened with glorious purpose are we?" She whispered, staring into the seemingly sleeping Lie-smith. She suddenly felt rather faint herself.

Ah, yes, Loki Odinson.

xJBLDx

**A/N: Woah two in one day! I'm on a creative roll I suppose. And look, It's Loki, though he isn't very awake at the moment. Something wicked this way comes.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Marvel's gloriously purposed characters, I own only my burdened Erys.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter III**

It took much energy, but she finally heaved the tall man onto the couch that he had fallen next to. Under different circumstances, she would have used magic, but that wasn't really a good idea considering she did not want to pass out as well. She looked at him again, almost pitying him. A golden thread had sewn his mouth shut and the holes in the skin where it was sewn looked rough and irritated. He was wearing informal Asgardian clothes, which still looked out of place in the Midgardian house.

She worked his jacket off of his arms to check for further injuries and saw the blood that had soaked through his shirt near his abdomen. Blushing slightly but moving quickly, she unbuttoned his vest and shirt and took both off of him, leaving the Lie-smith's top half fully exposed.

The wound was deep, but not long. It was as though he had been stabbed with a spear and not cut with a knife. It was still bleeding and looked recent; it was luckily not infected yet. Her instincts kicked in and she tied her hair back with the elastic on her wrist.

She rushed to the kitchen and scrambled to find a bowl and then filled it with lukewarm water. She then dashed upstairs and found a white T-shirt. She headed into the parlor again and ripped the shirt so that the sleeves were gone and it was cut in half. Holding the front of the ripped shirt, Erys balled it up and dipped it in the water. She pressed the makeshift gauze around the wound, cleaning it off so she could see the full damage. When she had finished, the cloth was wet with blood but Loki was still bleeding. She bit her lip, a nervous habit.

Erys knew that this would hurt, but she didn't want the wound to become infected. Gathering her wits about her, she dipped a bit of the back of the torn cloth in the water and hesitated before pressing it down on the gash. She put her whole weight forwards as she held the pressure.

Loki awoke with a gasp.

She almost screamed and backed away... almost, but she knew that it was better for her to help him heal. He glared at her and then made a strange motion with his hands. She lifted her eyebrow.

"Is that a language?" she asked the Lie-smith. He nodded, still glaring. She thought for a moment, sifting through the dozens of languages that Yggdrasil had taught her. Her mouth made an 'o' shape. "Is it Volapük sign?" She asked. Loki nodded again, and Erys asked him to repeat what he had signed.

_Who in Hel's name are you?_

Erys nearly smiled, but she decided to act calm and serious in front of this unpredictable god. "I am Erys," said she. "You are injured so I am tending to your wound."

_Foolish mortal, do not touch me, I never asked to be healed by you._

At this, Erys did chuckle. "I am no mortal Lie-smith, and if you are not healed, you will surely die." This of course was a bit of a stretch, he would only pass out again and Erys would just have to start from the beginning again.

_I have no need of your assistance._

Loki sat up slowly, holding back a wince. Erys sat back and allowed him to rise from the couch, waiting for him to realize that he needed healing. He limped towards the door and nearly made it halfway across the room before he collapsed with a sigh and a thud. Erys walked over to him and turned him on his back. His eyes were closed but she knew that he was still awake so she gently placed her hand on the wound, which was still bleeding heavily. With a deep breath she prepared herself to cast a healing spell.

The Allfather had told her that she could use her magic for good, although the pain would still be there. She figured that getting used to the pain would help her if she had to use magic for other important situations, so she muttered the words under her breath and closed her eyes. The pain was horrendous, and she focused on Loki's wound, biting the inside of her mouth until it started to bleed, fighting pain with pain. She could feel the mark on her back twist horribly. Luckily, the Lie-smiths' eyes were still closed, so he did not see her pain.

She felt the wound knead back together with threads of golden magic, and when it was fully healed, she sat back, biting her lip again.

"Better?" she noticed how strained her voice sounded. Silvertongue opened his eyes and looked at her, searching her face for the cause of the strain. He looked away.

_Better I suppose, but I would have been quite fine without you._ He signed.

It was silent in the parlor now, and the only sound was the rain pounding on the street outside. Erys glared at Loki. _The ungrateful bastard._ She stood up abruptly and offered no hand to help the man get up. Without turning back to look at him, she walked back to the kitchen to finish her breakfast.

xJBLDx

**Loki**

_Midgard,_ the Lie-smith bristled with annoyance,_ how dare the Allfather send him back to the place._ He knew that humiliation was all that awaited him. To make matters worse, he had had a poor citizen of Asgard stick him with a spear and had then been pushed off the Bifröst. And then he realized that Odin had also taken his magic away and sewn his mouth shut. _Damn him._

As if the humiliation of being sent back to Midgard and being rid of his magic was not enough, the people of Asgard and Jötunheimr did not want him in their realm either.

He felt the blood leaking out of his abdomen at an alarming rate and tried to heal it quickly, but he recalled his powerlessness and growled. Midgard was not far below him now and he prepared himself for a crash landing, but instead of feeling his body slam against solid earth, he felt nothing but his wound, his mouth, and his humiliation. And then it all went black.

_"If you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he cannot find you. You think you know pain? He will make you long for something as sweet as pain."_

Then Loki felt it, a sharp pain in his abdomen, his eyes snapped open with a start and he gasped. Thanos had been toying with his mind yet again. He turned his head to find himself in a Midgardian parlor of sorts and discovered that he was lying on a couch. There was a woman kneeling next to him, pressing a cloth to his stomach.

_Who in Hel's name are you?_ He signed, remembering his inability to speak. She looked confused and then answered him. Erys, he had heard that name somewhere, but surely that did not matter, this mortal was most likely named after someone. He had no desire to be helped by a mere mortal; did she not know who he was?

_Foolish mortal, do not touch me, I never asked to be healed by you._

She answered and Loki was surprised to hear that she knew who he was. And she was not mortal, yet he still had no need for her assistance, so he signed to her just that. He stood and walked towards the entrance to the room, a bit unsteady on his feet, but eager to get out of the house. He collapsed and grunted in pain. _Dammit._

He saw her heal him with magic, through his eyelashes, and he suddenly wondered why her face became twisted in pain. He did not ask for it was of no importance to him.

"Better?" She asked. He glared at her. He did not need her to take care of him.

_Better I suppose, but I would have been quite fine without you._ He signed. She scowled at him and then abruptly walked out of the room. Loki scrambled to his feet and then steadied himself on the doorway. He followed her path down the hallway and into what seemed to be a large kitchen, though it would be considered tiny on Asgard. She sat at the counter, eating bread and jam. Loki's stomach growled and he frowned. She looked up at him.

"Food?" she said, holding out a piece of her bread.

_No._ He would not accept anything else from this woman, and stubbornly, he walked out of the kitchen and towards the door of the house to find a way to change his fate.

The rain still poured down.

xJBLDx

**A/N: Another chapter for you, this one with Loki's POV. Hope you enjyed it, and remember, REVIEWS ARE HIGHLY APPRECIATED.**

**Also, thank you to ****_Lightning and Ice_**** for the follow! :)**

**Disclaimer: I own none of the Marvel or Norse events and characters, only Erys is mine.**

**adieu for now.**


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter IV**

Erys was licking the jelly off of her hands when she heard the door swish open and the sound of the rain increase. She sighed and stood up from the stool she was sitting on, put her plate in the sink, and walked out of the kitchen, wishing that she had the house to herself again.

The door was pulled shut with a slam.

Erys walked into the entrance hallway and put on the pair of rain boots that sat by the umbrella stand near the door, all the while wondering about the Lie-smith. He was by far the most ungrateful, arrogant prick that she had ever met and it made her want to slap him. _ I healed his fatal wound for the gods' sakes_.

She peered out the window and prepared herself to follow him out in the rain. Erys wondered why she still helped the man even if he was a prick. She sighed again contemplating her moral sanity and opened the door. The cool air blew into the house, making Erys shiver. She stepped out into the rain, making sure her house key was in her pocket, and skipped down the steps, trying to avoid slipping on the wet ground.

As Erys reached the sidewalk, she looked both ways to see what direction Loki had traveled in. She saw a tall, dark shape a bit off to her right and jogged over to the walking form, calling out as she went.

"What in Hel's name are you doing?!" The figure turned and Loki glared at her.

_I'm leaving this awful place, I do not belong on Midgard, I am too great for this._

Erys scowled at him and then laughed. It was more of a guffaw, because she tilted her head back to the rain, her dark bangs sticking to her face and droplets of water splashing off of her cheeks. "Do you jest?" She began. "You think you are so great because you are an Odinson, you were a prince. But look at you. By your inability to heal yourself it is safe to say you've lost your powers, and your mouth is hidden behind a barricade of wires. You think Midgard is beneath you and yet you lost a battle to these very mere mortals. You are not above anyone here, in fact, you are the same as they are, weak, powerless, and unable to voice your opinion."

There was silence for a moment as the prince took in her words. By now their clothes were plastered to their bodies and Erys shivered, realizing how cold it actually was outside. These words of hatred tasted strange on her tongue, and she immediately regretted them after she pronounced them. Her eyes widened.

"A-and besides, people would wonder about a man with threads sewn into his mouth, and they may even recognize you as the destroyer of this city. If there is one thing that Midgardians are good at, it is remembering." She said, to use another excuse for chasing him out into the rain.

_You are correct about my mouth, I suppose that people would wonder, but do not think that you understand me, because you do not. I am a king without a throne. I have been banished and deprived and tortured, and I have known the kind of pain that you could never imagine. I will stay in this god forsaken place for now, but when I find a way out, and I will, I will leave as fast as I am able._

He signed this very fast and it took a moment for Erys to figure out what he had said. She sighed. He thought _he _knew pain.

"Good, I'm glad you understand," she replied sarcastically. "Now I'm going inside before I freeze." She turned sharply around and walked back to the house, leaving Loki still standing in the pouring rain. She opened the door and slid the boots off of her feet. She realized that she was still in her pajamas and felt a faint blush scuttle across her cheeks. Erys took her wet socks off and rushed upstairs to bathe, trying not to get the floor too wet as she ran.

It was warm in the bathroom, and she stopped shivering as the steam hung in the air like a blanket. She slipped out of her pajamas and into the bath, savoring its warmth. After cleaning the smell of the rain out of her hair, she stood and wrapped a towel around her body and again looked in the mirror. Erys turned to see her back. The mark did not appear bigger visually, but she could nearly feel where it grew, and it disturbed her. She bit her lip and returned to her room to get dressed and visit the library once more for research.

Loki, on the other hand, ventured indoors again and went upstairs to see if there was clothing for him to wear. Across from Erys' room, was a room that he liked, it was a bit darker than the rest and it had a view of the garden below. In the drawers that sat underneath a mirror he found Midgardian clothes and wrinkled his nose. This would have to do for now, until he found a way to change his fate. The Lie-smith jogged down the stairs and entered the sitting room that was across from the parlor that he arrived in and took a deep breath. Then, he sat down at the piano bench and watched the rain fall down until it became dark. He was thinking, planning, but with no magic or speech, he did not come up with much.

**xJBLDx**

It continued like this for days. Erys often ventured out of the house to explore and Loki sitting in one of the sitting rooms or the sunroom often reading or just thinking.

It was unnerving, Erys thought, that someone could just sit and do nothing for days. If it had been her, she would have gone absolutely insane. _But of course he was rather insane in the first place._

And so, Erys continued to go out to explore New York City, wondering what it was like to have an alien attack, and researching Midgardian life. After two weeks, even she became bored of the city and stayed in the house more often. It was awkward, two people living in the same house, but rarely engaging in conversation. It seemed as though it was always silent, and Erys found herself missing the constant chatter and teaching of Yggdrasil.

**xJBLDx**

"You should eat more," Erys called from the kitchen one day, as the Lie-smith avoided dinner once again.

_You are not my mother. _She saw him sign from the sunroom. She sighed and took out two more pieces of bread to make Loki a sandwich with. The strange thing about the threads around his mouth was that he could eat and drink. The food passed right through them, but still no sounds came out. Sometimes Erys wondered if Loki was putting on an act, and that he actually could speak, but she brushed these thoughts away realizing that he had no reason to fool her.

Erys finished the sandwich and set it on a plate on the counter, knowing that Loki would eat it later that night, before he went upstairs to bed. She often heard him shuffling around in the middle of the night, as if he was pacing, or in pain. Many times she wanted to go into his room and soothe him, for she could not stand worried people, but she knew that if she interfered, he would lash out. _Such a basket-case._

She went into the living room and sat at the piano, running her fingers over the keys lightly, but never pressing down, as if she was afraid that it would hurt the ivory to be touched. Erys had learned about how ivory was made in one of the books that she had read in the library. It was rather horrifying, she had thought, and vowed not to play the piano that sat in the room, only to caress it, as if the keys were still the tusks of a large friendly creature that she would not hurt. The Lie-smith, on the other hand, often sat down at the piano to play a tune. It seemed to always be a sad song, and some reminded her of Yggdrasil and his kindness and his powerfulness and before she had realized it, she cried, the tears rushing down her face in great torrents and silent sobs arising from her lips. She never let the prince see her cry, she vowed not to, for she did not want the man to see her as weak.

As the days became shorter, and Erys found herself bundled up in sweaters more often, life became monotonous. The sorceress longed for conversation, and the sound of a voice other than her own. It had been easier in the warmer weather for her to venture out and engage strangers in conversation, but now, she wished she was come with Yggdrasil's own warmth. She was restless, and eager to end her punishment and fear of using magic.

It was mid-November when Erys walked down the stairs in the evening to make dinner. She had already dressed in her nightgown, which brushed its edges lightly on the floor as she padded down the hall. She heard a grunt from the kitchen and walked faster towards the noise.

The Silvertongue Prince was meaning on the counter with one hand while the other was at his throat, as if he was trying to stop an invisible force from choking him.

"Good Gods!" Erys gasped and rushed towards him, her nightgown fluttering behind her. She touched his arm delicately and was nearly thrown backwards by the immense dark magic radiating off of him. She closed her eyes and muttered spells under her breath, not knowing what spell could counter the attack. It hurt like Hel. After several minutes of the princes strangled cried and Erys' mutterings, Loki took a deep breath in. The choking seemed to have stopped. Erys slid to the floor in relief and Loki leaned over the sink, retching.

The sorceress stood and began to walk down the hall to retrieve medical supplies for the bruises in the man's neck. They were in the downstairs washroom, she remembered. She checked her back in the mirror; the mark had grown much larger. Erys winced.

After carrying the medical supplies into the kitchen, Erys turned back again, this time to get a rag to apply salve with. Loki was glaring at her. She sighed.

"These daddy problems are annoying," she mumbled. She heard Loki's snap up and Erys smirked in victory.

And yet he was behind her in seconds, she could feel his hot breath at her neck. Even without his powers, Loki was still silent and fast. He took hold of her shoulder and turned her around with a strength that she did not know that he had. The bruises on his neck had disappeared.

Suddenly Erys was terrified. She knew how ruthless Loki could be, but she had never seen him lash out like this. She swallowed and held her breath.

"_Foolish girl_," Loki seethed in a voice that was not his own. Erys shivered as the twine around his mouth stretched, creating bloody slits. This anger was most certainly his, but the voice, the voice was one dreaded to her. _Thanos. "I have no father. I am alone and always have been. You would never understand this with your simple mind. I am a king. The rightful king. And I have no need for your pity."_

Erys bit her lip to keep her from crying. With a jolt she was shoved against the hallway wall, Loki's hand at her throat, choking her as he was being choked moments ago. She whimpered. This was not Loki.

"_I have felt pain that you could never imagine and I have had power that you could never perceive. Do not mock me when you are the lowly being that you are! My fathers have abandoned me because I am a monster. They never wanted me, no one ever has." _ Loki's nails closed around her neck and she could feel them draw blood. She inhaled then choked, as his hand was blocking her airway. "_No one understands my ways, so do not try to do so now."_

Erys' head hurt. "Well then..." She choked out. "Here we stand, devoid of fathers." Loki dropped her and growled. She sunk to the floor as he stormed up the stairs and a few stray tears trickled down her cheeks. "Good Gods indeed." With her head hanging and her neck throbbing, she fainted.

**A/N:**

**I haven't uploaded in a while, and I'm sorry for that, I was at camp. I'm finished with it now, but soon school is starting up again... ugh.**

**Anywho, R & R if you please. :)**

**Adios amigos, y gracias.**


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter V**

**Loki**

From the moment that he walked toward Erys after her sarcastic comment, he knew that he was doing something wrong. He was angry, but he was not violently angry, no, he was angry at himself. For the gods' sakes why was he so weak? His hands were clenched at his sides and he stalked towards the woman as she walked away from him. Before he knew it, the Lie-smith stood behind the woman, his hands on her neck.

His mind repelled the urge to kill her yet his body disagreed with his thoughts. _What is this?_ He was not in control, though he supposed that he had never been in control in the first place. He had always been controlled, always ordered. This thought made him even angrier. Yes, this was the first time in his life where he could do whatever the Hel he wanted. He sneered through his thread.

He felt the pain in his bruised neck melt away as he grabbed Erys by the shoulder and turned her, violently to face him. Had he meant to do that?

_"Foolish girl,"_ Loki seethed. He shocked himself and nearly cried out in pain, but he couldn't. The threads that bound his mouth shut were not stopping him from speaking. It hurt. Good Gods it hurt. _ "I have no father. I am alone and always have been. You would never understand this with your simple mind. I am a king. The rightful king. And I have no need for your pity."_ His eyes widened maniacally as he wrapped his hands around the girl's neck and slammed her against the wall. He could kill her. _Why was he thinking like this?_ He could slaughter her here and then escape the confines of this petty prison.

_"I have felt pain that you could never imagine and I have had power that you could never perceive. Do not mock me when you are the lowly being that you are!"_ The Lie-smith closed his hands around her neck, digging his nails in. He wanted to see her bleed. Or, was it really him? _"No one understands my ways, so do not try to do so now."_

The girl looked to be in great pain. "Well then..." She choked out. "Here we stand, fatherless." Suddenly he felt his grip slacken. The prince dropped the girl to the floor and growled. _ What the Hel am I doing?_ And so he ran.

The stairs were steeper than when he last remembered them, and at the top of them he felt out of breath. Something was clawing at his chest; a monster seemed to be inside of him. He staggered down the hallway and fell into his room, forgetting to turn on the lights. The lost prince dragged himself to the mirror that hung on his wall and stood, leaning on his bed for support.

His eyes were fiercer, somehow. The green took up more room and his pupils were barely visible. The area around his mouth was ghastly. The gold threads were now brown with already dried blood and the cuts that speaking had given him were still seeping red. It tasted like dirty salt water. Loki's breathing was hard and he lurched forwards as the thing that was inside him crawled up his throat. He coughed only to find blood on his hand. There was actually something inside of him.

It was scratching and clawing as it tried to get out of him and Loki shot up unsteadily, trying to make his way towards the bathroom. He stumbled forwards and hit the mirror with a smash as it shattered on the floor. He fell in pain, cradling his hand which now had glass sticking out of it. The Lie-smith's breathing became slow and labored as the world around him began to spin for the second time that day. He tried to swallow but choked violently instead.

He bent over towards the broken glass on the ground and blood splattered the shards. And then he stopped. And then there was something crawling on the ground near his blood stained face. And then he opened his eyes.

It was small, about the size of a mouse, but it was black with red eyes and razor claws that it had used to crawl out of Loki's throat. It bared its teeth and then spoke, in the voice that he had used to hurt Erys with.

_"I have not yet shown you my true strength, Would-be King. But I have shown others. You have failed me, and I will show you no mercy."_

_Thanos_, Loki whispered weakly, his throat throbbing along with his hand and mouth and head. _ I should have known._ He was never really in control in the first place. He had hurt her. He had hurt himself. The thing died in front of him because he stabbed it with one of the shards. Over and over again. The prince dug his nails into his non-injured hand to keep himself from screaming.

_He had never been in control._

**xJBLDx**

**Erys**

She awoke in the middle of the night, at least it seemed like the middle of the night from the darkness that lay outside of the window at the end of the hall. Perhaps her vision was just hazy.

The house itself was silent, but she could hear the muffled sound of jazz music and traffic in the distance. The lights in the kitchen were still on, so Erys placed her hand on the ground and stood slowly, so as to avoid a head rush. She turned towards the wall and realized that her head had left a dent in it. Steadying herself on the walls as she went, she made her way towards the kitchen.

There was a pot in the sink from last night's dinner and the sorceress looked down into it. In her disfigured reflection she saw her neck which was covered in purple bruises and nail shaped cuts. She reached up to touch it lightly but winced and pulled her fingers away as soon as they made contact. Her head was throbbing.

Erys walked to one of the white cupboards and opened it, retrieving a bottle of Tylenol. She shook two into her hand and stumbled back to the sink, filling one of the cups near it with water. She downed the two pills on after the other, trying not to cry as they slid painfully down her throat. The tears fell down her cheeks anyway. Erys closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths and clenched the counter in front of her until her headache dulled a bit. Then she looked up and her eyes widened in realization.

_He was still in the house, he could still kill her_. She took one of the large knives that lay on the counter and tiptoed through the house, looking for the prince. Careful to not make any sound, she moved up the stairs. Once upstairs, Erys checked her own room first, making sure that he wasn't hiding there. She then checked the bathroom, but he wasn't there either. As she came upon Loki's own door, she took a deep breath before turning the doorknob. It wasn't locked like it usually was.

Immediately after stepping into the room, she noticed and smelled the copper smell of the blood. It was everywhere. She gasped as she saw him lying on the ground; there was glass all around him and something black near his hand. Erys rushed over and knelt down, stuffing the knife in her belt.

She glared at the thing near his hand and stood back up immediately to rush to her room. She dug through her closet to find a shoebox, dumped the shoes on the floor, and rushed back into the room. Using only her pointer finger and thumb, she picked the creature up as quickly as she could and dumped it in the empty box. She then rushed downstairs and grabbed a roll of tape from a drawer in the kitchen and rushed back upstairs to seal the box so that the strange creature could not escape, if it was still alive that was. She placed the box on a table that stood in the upstairs hallway and then turned her attention the unconscious Lie-smith. This was the second time that he had been so vulnerable in front of him and she sighed.

He looked terrible to say the least. Ignoring the growing sensation of the mark on her back, she lifted Loki with magic and carried him out the door and across the hall to her own room. Erys lay the man down on her bed and turned to the bathroom to get the medical supplies. This was going to require a lot of gauze.

**xJBLDx**

**A/N: I really have no excuse for not updating, so here's the next chapter and I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooo sorry.**

**Lots of blood in this chapter...whoops.**

**Thanks to retainwonderland & musiciskey28 for the follows and to Lightning and Ice for the review!**

**Disclaimer: I wish i was rich but all rights go to marvel other than the story idea and Erys.**

**Please review :) I'll try and update sooner this time.**


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